Training & Behavior Tips

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With the 4th of July just around the corner and as we begin to prepare for the fun festivities ahead we can’t forget about our furry friends. Many dogs are very afraid of the loud noises associated with fireworks and often most owners are not at home when fireworks are going off. It’s not surprising…

It’s another afternoon at the dog park. People are chatting up a storm about their beloved pets, telling stories to one another all the while their dogs socilally interact joyfully in different ways. I stand off to the side observing every interaction- like pictures in a slide show, I record what I see between dogs…

There are two things that both humans and dogs share at a very primitive level. These two things are at the core source of our relationship to our best friends since time began. Where and how you eat and where and how you sleep is a building block from which we have formed a close partnership…

It was a bright and beautiful day in Prescott and another start to a series of free dog training classes at the Yavapai Humane Society. Everyone was moving right along with the heel command. As I turned to around, I witnessed a powerful lab pulling his owner out of the receiving building. I heard a…

Run after run, I slowly walk down the aisle. Some tails wag, other bodies shake, some mouths growl and others have a warning sign on their run that says: “Do not touch” on the gate. Those are the runs that I find where a dog is in need of significant help. After spending a long…

As we enter year 2011, new advancements in science are proving that our genetic DNA differs slightly from other humans. For instance, if you are a Sherpa, you may carry a different variable in the Ace gene that allows you to climb a high altitude mountain without using supplemental oxygen. While we advance towards new…

This weekend over 40 people will have attended another one of their group classes. While most trainers would insist to not bring these fearful, volital, dominant dogs into a group class environment, I say bring them on. It was a goal of mine to construct a course that would economically appeal to clients who’s dogs…

On Nov. 16th, 2010, 16 dogs from the Yavapai Humane Society in Prescott, Arizona and 16 volunteers & staff entered their first 6 week basic obedience course. Seven weeks later, all 16 dogs who may have otherwise been euthanized or deemed un-adoptable were placed in homes and graduated. On Dec. 21st, 10 more dogs and…

Because pack & heard animals live their life on a totem pole, you have to pay attention to how un-conscience they are about constantly one-upping you. This mechanism is ingrained in their basic biology to get to the head of the pack or family system in place. Make no mistake that as a horseback rider…

Whenever I’m in doubt or struggling with a problem, I always return to the animals to give back. The ones shaking and shivering in back of a cage, left with cigarette burns, cuts on their face and no trust for human beings. I spend time with the pets that watch their owner’s last breath sitting…